Some wound dressings, typically known in the art as “border dressings,” are comprised of an absorbent wound pad and a backing layer extending peripherally beyond the wound pad. Typically, such border wound dressings are affixed to a wound at adhesive “borders,” at those parts of the backing layer (and/or corresponding parts of any additional layer(s)) that extend beyond the periphery of the wound pad.
Although such wound dressings are generally satisfactorily attached to body parts, in some instances, when wound dressings are applied to body parts that move (e.g. at joints) and/or rub against clothing or objects, the wound dressings may become partially detached from a wound site prematurely. Even partial detachment can compromise the function of the wound dressing—for example, by allowing wound exudate to leak out at the detached area(s) and/or by exposing the wound to the outside (therefore increasing the risk of infection from outside agents). Detached wound dressings may be difficult to re-apply, so they are often replaced with a new dressing, which can be costly.
In some applications, for example, in cases where the wound dressing is used as part of a negative pressure wound treatment system, it may be especially important that the wound dressing maintains an airtight seal over the wound.